Nationals GM Mike Rizzo was a guest on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM earlier today and discussed his team’s ninth inning option with hosts Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette (audio link via Soundcloud). “We feel that we have a closer in house,” said Rizzo. “We’ve felt that ever since early in the offseason when we didn’t get one of the big three closers. We feel that he’s here. We’ll figure out which one it is. They all have the stuff to do it. You talk about a power bullpen — we’ve got four or five guys that throw 95-plus in the bullpen.” Pressed further on the issue later in the interview, Rizzo conceded that if things aren’t going well during the season, the Nationals will be open to seeking outside alternatives, but the GM did not indicate that he’s looking to acquire a closer in the limited time between now and Opening Day.

David Robertson has been the “proven closer” that is most commonly linked to the Nats in trade rumors, though FanRag’s Jon Heyman reported earlier today that the sides don’t seem to feel the other is all that serious about getting a trade worked out. Per Heyman, the Nationals feel the asking price on Robertson means that the Sox aren’t all that interested in moving him, whereas the Sox feel the Nationals haven’t been very aggressive in pursuing him.

A couple more on last year’s NL East champs…

Also from that MLB Network Radio interview, Bowden specifically asked Rizzo about the team’s acquisition of left-hander Enny Romero from the Rays. Bowden noted that Romero caught his attention during the World Baseball Classic when hitting 100 mph with his fastball, and Rizzo explained that Romero has been on the team’s radar for years. The Washington GM revealed that he pushed for the Rays to include Romero in the trade that sent Nate Karns to the Rays in exchange for Felipe Rivero and Jose Lobaton, but the Rays would not part with him.

Max Scherzer threw 54 pitches in a minor league game against the Mets today, writes Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post, and he did so with his traditional fastball grip — a grip he’d been unable to use earlier this spring as he worked back from a stress fracture in the knuckle of his right ring finger. Scherzer had previously experimented with a three-fingered grip on his fastball in order to alleviate some pressure on the problematic knuckle, but he was relieved to get back to his traditional pitch arsenal today, Janes notes. The plan for Scherzer is to start a Major League game six days from now, which would give Scherzer time to make three more spring outings. “That’s 70, 85, 100 [pitches],” Scherzer said, suggesting that he’ll have time to ramp up for the season. Janes notes that that schedule wouldn’t line Scherzer up to start on Opening Day but could allow him to make his 2017 debut during the Nationals’ first turn through their rotation.

The Rays and Nationals have announced a trade sending left-handed reliever Enny Romero to Washington for minor league right-hander Jeffrey Rosa The move will open a spot on the 40-man roster for first baseman Logan Morrison, whose one-year deal to return to Tampa Bay is now official. The Nationals, on the other hand, did not need to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Romero. Even after this trade, their 40-man count is still just at 39 players.

The 26-year-old Romero has had a pair of rough seasons in Tampa Bay, pitching to a 5.59 ERA in 75 2/3 innings at the Major League level from 2015-16. While he’s shown a penchant for missing bats (9.6 K/9), Romero has also averaged 4.9 walks per nine innings pitched and logged a slightly below-average ground-ball rate. However, his strikeout prowess and a power fastball that has averaged 96.1 mph over the past two seasons likely made him appealing to the Nationals.

Romero is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to break camp with the Nationals to open the season or first be exposed to waivers. He’ll head to Spring Training and give the Nats a third left-handed option behind veteran southpaw Oliver Perez and impressive young lefty Sammy Solis. If Romero ultimately proves able to harness his impressive velocity and strikeout potential, he’ll be a nice long-term option in the Nationals’ bullpen, as he’s controllable via arbitration through the 2021 season.

The 21-year-old Rosa has pitched 96 1/3 innings as a pro and pitched to a 3.83 ERA with a 103-to-49 K/BB ratio since signing as an amateur. He’s yet to crack any top prospect ranking within the Nationals organization, and that’s not terribly surprising given his age and the fact that he’s yet to advance beyond Rookie-level ball. But the out-of-options Romero was likely viewed as a potential 40-man casualty in Spring Training, as the Rays have Xavier Cedeno firmly ahead of him on the depth chart in addition to a slew of right-handed options that figure to merit spots.

It’s possible that Tampa Bay could seek further left-handed depth between now and Opening Day, though they could simply look at Cedeno, Alex Colome, Brad Boxberger, Erasmo Ramirez, Danny Farquhar and Shawn Tolleson as a likely front six in their relief corps. That would leave a number of other 40-man arms and non-roster invitees to battle it out for the final bullpen spot. All of those options can be seen on the Rays’ depth chart at Roster Resource.

Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times first reported that Romero was going to the Nats (on Twitter). Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post tweeted that the Nationals were sending a Gulf Coast League pitcher to the Rays in the deal.